PLATTSMOUTH – Historic floodwaters will continue to affect many key transportation routes across Cass County this weekend.

One of the biggest issues involves Highway 75 north of Plattsmouth. State authorities closed the two northbound lanes of Highway 75 Friday morning and blocked the two southbound lanes early Friday night. This was in response to rising floodwaters from both the Platte and Missouri rivers.

Those actions took on a new sense of urgency Friday night. Nebraska State Patrol troopers confirmed that floodwaters from the Platte River had started to spill over the bridges. Troopers could see water running across the bridges and completely blocking the roads from any sort of traffic.

The Highway 75 route from Nebraska City to Bellevue contains a heavy amount of traffic each day. Nebraska Department of Transportation statistics show that the average daily traffic on Highway 75 from Murray to Plattsmouth in 2017 was 10,135 vehicles. Cars and trucks that merge onto the highway at Plattsmouth to go to Bellevue and Omaha increase that daily amount even more.

The NDOT began instructing vehicles on Friday to take a detour to cross the Platte River. Vehicles heading from Plattsmouth can take Highway 66 to Louisville and then cross the Platte River at the Highway 50 Bridge there. Highway 50 from Louisville to Highway 370 in Sarpy County remains open to traffic.

Traffic counts were well above average on Highway 50 late Friday afternoon after the detour began to take effect. State authorities are urging people not to slow down to take photos of the Platte River across the bridge due to the possibility of traffic accidents.

Bay Road leading into Buccaneer Bay at Plattsmouth was also flooded over by Friday afternoon. Large lakes of water are currently on both sides of the road and traffic is blocked in both directions. The road will remain closed for the foreseeable future as water levels there are expected to remain high.

Major flooding in Iowa is also affecting Cass County traffic routes. Authorities closed Interstate 29 from Glenwood to the Missouri border Friday afternoon due to flooding along the Missouri River. An additional section of I-29 from Glenwood to Council Bluffs was closed Saturday after floodwaters continued to rise there.

A large section of U.S. Highway 34 in both Nebraska and Iowa is no longer open to traffic. Authorities have closed the road from Highway 75 in La Platte to I-29 near Pacific Junction in Iowa because it is impassable. Flooding has caused much of the highway to go underwater.

A section of Nebraska Highway 31 in Sarpy County by Louisville was closed Friday afternoon. The closed section stretches from Riha Road to Armbrust Lane. Flooding has made the road impassable.

NDOT officials, Cass County Sheriff’s Office deputies and other state authorities are emphasizing the importance of not crossing any roads with standing water. They said it only takes 12 inches of flowing water to carry away a small car.

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